Heart of a Wyvern
by ShadowRebirth37
Summary: KH1. Riku explores Hollow Bastion after Maleficent finds him. He is told of a strange Wyvern named Okari, a blue-scaled female with retained memories & a violent nature. When Okari finds him hurt, will she kill him or let him go? Bad summary. Please R & R
1. The New Arrival

**AN**- Hello, ShadowRebirth37 here! This is my first Kingdom Hearts fic, but I hope to write more if you guys like it. **Mild spoilers for first game!! **Just wanted to give you guys the heads-up. This will be told primarily from my OC Wyvern Heartless's POV, but also from Riku's POV in some spots. The page breaks mean either time has passed or that the POV will switch (the Wyvern's part of the fic is told in first-person, and Riku's from third-person. This is based off two sources- a dream and a game experience. I had a dream a few months ago that I was a Wyvern Heartless in Hollow Bastion during the first game when Riku first arrived. Also, after I (finally) defeated Riku the first time (ya know, when you get the Keyblade, Donald and Goofy back), I walked towards the fountainand was dive-bombed by a strangle-looking Wyvern. Oddly, it didn't stay to attack me (which surprised me, cause I only had like two points of health left and it could of easily taken me down), instead it flew off in the direction Riku had fled. I redid the same fight with Riku half-a-dozen times, but the Wyvern Heartless never reappeared. You'll understand why I thought the Wyvern was strange when you read; I'll explain why it was in the fic. Without further a due, my fic- From the Eyes of a Wyvern! (in this fic, when I say cathedral I mean the place you fight Maleficent in her dragon form. Just play-along with me about there being a _normal _door into there… actually, I think there is a door into there besides the darkness portal, but I'm not sure.XD)

**Disclaimer**- Do you seriously think I own Kingdom Hearts? If you do, well sorry to disappoint you, but I don't. Yep, Kingdom Hearts ain't mine. I only own this fic and its storyline, plot, ect, my OCs, and the other things I made up.XP

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_**.:Chapter 1- The New Arrival:.**_

I looked down over the abandoned cathedral from my perch, looking for both enemies and possible prey in the dim dawn light. A lone Shadow caught my attention. I watched it's nervous, jerky movements as it scanned the open area with its bright, yellow eyes. Silently spreading my wide tan wings, I jumped down from my perch and dropped onto the unsuspecting Heartless with talons extended. It squeaked in surprise before exploding into a dark vapor as I squeezed it with my talons; the heart trapped within it flying upwards before it too vanished.

'_Such a pitiful creature…' _I thought in disgust, snorting to disperse some of the vapor that still clung to my smoothly scaled hide. Roaring a warning to any other Heartless that might be nearby, I flew back up to where I had been resting. With a quiet click of my claws on the ancient stone, I landed and folded my wings against my side. Closing my emerald-green eyes, I thought back to my life before the Heartless invasion.

I had been a dragon in life, a beautiful blue young female named Ka-annai. When the Radiant Garden was first attacked, my silver friend and I hid deep in our cave, hoping the Heartless wouldn't look inside. They did, however, and my friend tried to protect me, but he was hopelessly outnumbered and turned into a Heartless before my very eyes. I was unable to fight them off, and they turned me into a Wyvern. I don't know why my memories and consciousness were left intact, but the haunting flashbacks to that dark day made me wish they were gone. The only thing that distinguished me from the other former dragons, which also were turned to Wyverns, was my appearance. My eyes weren't the piercing yellow typical of Heartless; they were the pale emerald I had in life. The horns that fringed my head were also different; instead of the rusty-brown of normal Wyverns, mine were shimmering metallic-blue. I also had a deep sapphire-blue patch of scale on the top of muzzle, the same color as the scales that once covered my previous draconic body.

A shuffling down in the cathedral shook me from my memories. I opened my eyes and looked down towards the noise. The noise had come from a small bird scratching at the stone as it looked for food. _'Odd…' _I thought, watching the small bird with idle interest, _'… I'm surprised the other Heartless haven't turned or killed it yet…' _As if it heard my thoughts, it looked up at me before flying away with a pleasant chirp.

I started to close my eyes again when I heard the heavy door that connected the empty room to the open-air hall creak and groan loudly as it was pushed open. _'Probably another stupid Soldier that's come to investigate that Shadow's disappearance…' _I thought, grinning slightly at the thought of my earlier kill. The click of shoes told it was no Heartless that had entered my lair, but Maleficent herself. I opened my eyes fully and looked down at her, curious as to why she had entered _my_ lair. That's when I noticed she wasn't alone; a young teen was with her.

'_That must be the new arrival the other Wyverns were chattering about…' _I concluded, remembering a pair of Wyverns had been chattering about a silver-haired teen that Maleficent had brought back. I leaned down slightly to get a better look at him. His light-blue eyes shone in stark contrast to his silver hair and pale skin, making them seem that much brighter. He was wearing a yellow-and-black shirt and blue pants, and his black-gloved hand was holding a blue-and-red wing-like sword. I stared at him for a second, not with anger for invading my lair, but with shock, for his silver hair and blue eyes reminded me of my friend. Snapping back to reality, I realized that Maleficent was talking.

"This is the cathedral, Riku, and as you see there is nothing of real interest here." She said, gesturing to the mostly empty room.

"I can see that Maleficent," Riku said, annoyance evident in his voice, "So why did you bring me up here?"

"Well, this is the safest area from the Heartless. If you ever need to get away from them during the day, come in here and close the door, they won't enter unless they are very desperate to get you." She replied, tapping her staff slightly on the stone.

"Why don't they come in here? And why do I come here during the day to escape? Can't I come at night, too?" Riku asked.

"They are afraid of the lone Wyvern that lives up here. I believe she has retained her memories and is very angry for being turned into a Heartless, because she is known to attack and kill any Heartless that comes in here during the night, dawn and dusk. She won't attack you during the day, so you can stay in here until the Heartless leave. It would be wise for you to come up here if you get wounded somehow, you'll be well protected. But be warned- you mustn't come here after nightfall. If you do, the Wyvern will attack you. She is much more powerful than most, and can easily outpace and overpower you. It's safe to be here at sunset, in fact, I encourage you to come up here and watch the sunset for the view is wonderful. Just be sure you don't dally or fall asleep, for if you do and night falls, the Wyvern won't hesitate to attack you and steal your heart. So remember- safe in sunlight, danger in darkness." Maleficent lectured, pointing to me with her staff for added emphasis.

Riku looked up at me, and his eyes widened as he saw my coloration and green eyes. I cocked my head and stared right back at him, swishing my arrowhead-tipped tail slowly behind me. A low growl escaped my throat, and my wings twitched slightly, like a hesitant eagle's.

"I'll be sure to remember that…" he said, not taking his eyes off me, "Why will the Heartless come after me?" he asked, turning back to Maleficent.

"They shouldn't attack you unless you attack them first. If you so much as swing at them, however, they will attack. Shadows are particularly aggressive, and sometimes they may scratch at you. Don't strike back- if you don't they usually will grow bored and leave, but if you strike they will attack, which will draw other, stronger Heartless's attentions." Maleficent instructed him.

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind. Why are there pieces of metal all over the place? Does she collect them, like the dragons from stories?" he asked, kicking a small bronze knob that had been near his foot.

"Yes, she does." Maleficent answered, "I believe she was one of the dragons that lived here before this world was overrun by the Heartless. When she retained her memories, she retained her old habits and such. And since the dragons that lived here did keep hoards, it was only natural for her to continue to collect objects even though she's now a Heartless."

"Dragon? Aren't dragons just fairy tales?" Riku asked, not really believing Maleficent's claim that I had been a real dragon in life.

"Here there were dragons. They weren't as big as their fairy tale cousins, however, but they were pretty big, ranging from the size of a horse to the size of the table in the banquet hall." Maleficent explained that dragons _really_ had lived in Hollow Bastion before the world was literally torn apart by the Heartless.

"Hmm…" Was Riku's only reply as he turned to look at me again. I ducked my head and growled quietly, shifting my weight.

"Come, Riku, I need to show you the rest of the castle before nightfall." Maleficent broke the silence and started to walk out. Riku tore his gaze from me and followed her out, shutting the door behind him.

'_Strange… he wasn't afraid of me… most humans would have run or grown uneasy from my presence…'_ I thought after the door clicked shut. Lifting my head, I looked up through one of the many holes in the ceiling and at the sky. The morning sun was turning into the bright light of day, and I decided that I should try to rest, for I had a feeling I would need my strength later. Yawning loudly, I curled into a ball in the small inlay in the wall, which served as a lookout and ambush spot. Closing my eyes, I was soon fast asleep.

* * *

Riku walked through the hallowed and crumbling halls of the castle, sword in hand as he explored on his own. _'I want to explore for myself for once… I never really got to explore alone on the island, 'cause either Sora, Kairi or one of the others would have followed me…' _Riku thought as he looked at the ripped and faded tapestries that hung loosely from the wall. One depicted a fountain with all sorts of flowers and birds around it, and several small animals that he had never seen before. Most of the others also showed similar scenes, but one particularly ripped-up one caught his eye. On it, three dragons, a brown, silver, and a red, were playing with each other on a beach. It reminded him of how he, Sora and Kairi would play in the waves at the island.

"Looks just like us at the island…" he thought out loud, smiling at the memories that came back. He turned from the tapestry and continued down the hall towards the library. _'Might as well make some use of my time…'_ he thought with a sigh as he turned into the library. The countless books were carefully organized on the numerous shelves and even after years of abuse only a few were strewn across the floor.

He took a step forward, and since he wasn't paying attention to where he was going, kicked a large book under the table in front of him. He sighed and leaned down, picking up the book. A thick film of dust obscured the cover, so he brushed it off. The words "Native Animals of Rad-" were legible, but water and grime had smeared the rest. Remembering what Maleficent had said earlier, he looked at the back cover, but it was illegible due to water damage.

"I wonder if there is anything in here about the dragons she was talking about…" Riku mused out loud, quickly skimming through some of the pages. Deciding it might be worth reading, he turned and walked out, back the way he had come. As he flipped through the book, he unconsciously retraced his steps back to the cathedral. Realizing where he was, he looked outside for a rough estimate of what time it was. The sun was very bright, so he figured it was safe to enter.

Pushing the door open as quietly as possible, he walked in and closed the door slightly behind him, leaving it open a little just in case he had to run out quick. He looked around the decrepit room to see if any Heartless besides the Wyvern were in with him. Seeing none, not even the Wyvern, he walked over to the opposite wall and sat down. Leaning against the wall, he started reading the thick book.

* * *

I heard the door creak quietly as something slowly pushed it open and shut it slightly. Hearing footsteps, I knew it wasn't a Heartless, but a person. I lifted my head slightly and looked towards the door. I was surprised to see Riku standing near the door, and I wondered why he was here. _'He must have come up here to read… can't blame him really, this __is__ the quietest place in the whole castle…' _I concluded, spying the book in his hand.

Laying my head back down, I heard him walk over and lean against the wall the inlay that I was sleeping in was cut into. The quiet flick of pages and the occasional laugh or mutter soon filled the silence of the room. Another Wyvern would have driven him away, but I was curious about the new arrival.

Stretching my neck, I peered down over the edge at him. He was sitting a few feet to my right below me, but I could still clearly see the pages of the book. Currently, he was reading the section on Kaganni Dragons. _'Humph… if he wants to learn about Kaganni Dragons so much he should just ask one…' _I thought with a slight smirk at my joke. I must have chuckled, for a second later Riku looked up at me. He didn't seem all that concerned that I was awake, and after looking at me for a second turned his attention back to the book.

'_He doesn't seem too concerned with the fact that a dangerous Heartless is sitting right above him… but why should he? It's the middle of the day, and I only hunt at night…' _I thought as I pulled my head back and curled up again. I closed my eyes and sighed, and soon I was asleep again.

* * *

As he was reading the section on the Kaganni Dragons Maleficent had mentioned, Riku heard a quiet growl above him. He looked up and sure enough the Wyvern was looking down at him. It looked at him almost curiously, and didn't really seem like it posed that much of a threat. _'I bet that's just what she wants me to think so I'll let my guard down… or maybe she really is just curious and was just wondering what I was doing…' _Riku thought as he looked back down at the book. He heard the quiet scratching of the Wyvern's smooth scales on the rough stone as she curled back up and fell asleep with a sigh.

'_Apparently she was just curious, otherwise she would have jumped down on me when I looked away from her… Maleficent made her seem to be a bloodthirsty demon, but I'm not too sure of that now…' _he thought as he started reading again. Unknowingly to Riku, hours slipped by as he continued reading and flipping through the incredibly thick book. When he did finally look up from it, the sun was already touching the horizon, casting eerie shadows as it bounced of pieces of metal and glass that littered the cathedral floor.

'_I should get out of here before the Wyvern wakes up…' _he thought as he got to his feet and brushed the dust from his clothes. Being as quiet as he could, he made his way across the room. When he was about three-fourths of the way across, he accidentally dropped the book, which fell to the ground with a seemingly deafening _thud_. He spun around and looked up where the Wyvern was sleeping to see if he had woken her. Not seeing any movement, he quickly kneeled down to pick up the heavy book.

As his gloved hand touched the cover, he heard a quiet rumbling growl directly in front of him. Slowly, he looked up slightly, and sure enough the Wyvern was right in front him. _'Shoot! I should've known she would do that! Now I'm down on the ground and completely defenseless!' _Riku yelled in his head, cursing his stupid move. The Wyvern took a step forward and bent down, now only feet away. She hissed lowly, causing Riku to freeze.

'_If I can get to my sword I might be able to defend myself…' _Riku thought as he struggled to come up with a plan. Very slowly, he started to pull his hand back. The Heartless snorted and leaned down, her jaws just mere inches from his hand. Instantly, Riku froze, watching the Wyvern carefully. She growled softly, and lightly nosed his outstretched hand, almost like a cat would. The Wyvern stopped, and looked down at the book.

Riku couldn't believe what the Heartless did next. With a loud growl, the Wyvern pushed the book into his hand. At first he didn't move, but when the Wyvern growled again and pushed it into his hand with more force, he took the hint and picked it up. As soon as he did, she lifted her head away and walked back towards where she had been sleeping. Riku waited a few seconds before he got to his feet, and he did so _very_ slowly.

When he did stand up, he turned and looked behind him. The Wyvern was half-way across the room, and was looking back at him with her bright green eyes. They stared at each other for a few seconds before the Wyvern turned and flew back up into the inlay. Riku took the chance to get out, and he did so. He shut the door tightly behind him before he turned and looked out one of the many holes in the ruined walls.

The bright-red sun was just barely visible over the horizon, and would disappear completely in a matter of minutes. That observation made him think. _'Maybe she didn't attack because the sun hadn't completely set yet… if that was the case I was __extremely__ lucky…'_ he thought, watching the sun finally slip down below the horizon.

Remembering Maleficent's warning, he started towards where his room was. It took him only a few minutes to reach it, so he slipped in quietly and shut the door. Setting down the heavy book, he lit the candle on the small nightstand next to his bed so he could see. His room wasn't much- a desk, bed, chair, a bookshelf filled with old journals, a nightstand, and a trunk with a large lock on it. He took off his shoes and laid on his bed, crossing his arms behind his head as he stared at the ceiling in thought.

'_That Wyvern could have nailed me and I wouldn't havebeen able to do a thing to protect myself, so why didn't it? Instead of stealing my heart like any other Heartless would have done, it handed me my book and let me go… why? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that she retained her memories and consciousness, but even then she should have taken me. The book said the Kaganni Dragons were ambush carnivores, skilled hunters and opportunistic predators… I don't understand why she let me go… maybe it did have something to do with the fact the sun hadn't completely set, but I doubt it, I was vulnerable, any predator would have jumped at the opportunity, but she didn't… I don't know…' _Riku was puzzled by what had happened, and didn't understand why the Wyvern had released him.

Yawning, he pushed the thoughts away and blew out the candle. He rolled over and soon fell asleep.

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I looked back to see if he had gotten up. He had, and he was looking back at me. We stared at each other for a few seconds before I spread my wings and flew back up to my usually perch. I curled up and looked down to see if he was still down there, but he was just shutting the door. _'Interesting…'_ I thought, _'He didn't panic or lash out… he probably thought I was going to nail him, but why would I do that? I was just helping him pick up that book, and besides…'_

'_It wasn't past sundown…'_

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_**.:End of Chapter 1:.**_

**AN**- What did you guys think? I left you with a little cliffy of sorts. Guys please go easy on me; this is my first Kingdom Hearts fic and only my fourth overall. I just came from writing 3 Zoids fics, so the transition may have affected this fic. Please keep an open mind; this was based on a dream and an in-game experience. **No flamers please!! **Please review; I want to know what you guys think of my fic!! I will post chapter 2 only if you guys like this fic; I put a lot of effort into these and I won't waste all that effort if no one reads and reviews it. Check my profile for news and updates on fic status and such. So, please go and leave me a nice review!XD

Ibeyla:P

**P.S**- In case you guys got confused, here's a speech guide for you.

"Hello"- normal speech (person-to-person/Heartless-to-Heartless)

'_Great…'_- thoughts/thinking

_Extremely_- emphasis

I think that about covers it. If you have any questions or such, please leave it in a review and I'll reply to it or shoot me a PM and I'll send you a PM with an answer if I can answer it. Until next chapter.

Ibeyla:P


	2. Hints of a Dark Plot

**AN**- Hello, ShadowRebirth37 here! I decided to give this fic a second chance at life. I took a slight break from my so-far-accepted _Zoids_ fic, _**The Dark Savior**_, to work on this fic and my up-coming _Ecco the Dolphin: DotF_ fic called _**Search for the Starred Ones**_. If nobody reads this chapter, that's it, I'm pulling the plug on this fic. Don't get me wrong, I like writing this fic, but I put a lot of effort into this fic and for no one to read it is, well, saddening and feels like a wasted effort. I'm sorry to the few people who've actually red, reviewed and liked this fic, but if no one reads I don't see a reason to keep messing with this fic. If you guys want me to continue, tell me in a review! Or beg me in a PM! That works too!XD Anyway, last chapter was more of an introduction than anything, and something funny happened. It's **exactly** 3900 words, no more, no less. 3900 right on the nose!XP That cracked me up for some reason. Anyway, this chapter will have more action and stuff, and Okari will have to make a tough, life-or-death decision. Oo… I can't take the suspense!! Without further a due, chapter 2- Hints of a Dark Plot.

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_**.:Chapter 2- Hints of a Dark Plot:.**_

I watched the darkened sky from atop the cathedral roof as the light of the sun slowly started to chase away the dark from behind the far-off mountains, an unsuccessful night of hunting weighing heavy on my mind. _'Those cursed Shadows… they've caught-on to my strategies and learned my ambush points… clever little things…'_ I thought with a scowl, glaring at a Shadow slinking along one of the open-air halls. Growling, I spread my blue-tinged tan wings and glided down onto a large brass pipe where several other Wyverns were all perched.

"Okari! Odd to see you out so late, err… early." Suruko, a normal Wyvern, piped as I landed beside him.

"Bad hunt." I grumbled back, folding my wings tight against my side, fuming about the hunt's failure.

"Ahh… don't worry Okari, I'm sure you'll get 'em tonight!" he said sympathetically, extending his left wing over me, the Wyvern equivalent to a pat-on-the-back.

"Thanks, Suru…" I mumbled, bowing my head in disappointment. Even though I was abnormally aloof for a Wyvern, Suruko was the only Wyvern I would even try to hold a conversation with. Although he had lost his memories, he was the only Wyvern I even remotely trusted. Despite his some-what chatty and sunny disposition, he was a pretty tough fighter.

"Don't mention it!" he smiled, "Hey, have you seen the kid Maleficent brought back from the rising falls?" he asked, withdrawing his wing as he saw me perk up at the mention of the new arrival.

"Yes I have… he reminds me of Kaga…" I lowered my head again at the thought of my friend.

"The memories again? Well, I think Maleficent's up to something, she's been unusually nice to him… have you noticed that?"

"Yeah, I was wondering what she's scheming also, she's been way to nice… must be important for her to act so strange…" I trailed off, getting a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Yup… my thoughts exactly! Oh, how's your wing doin?" he cocked his head and tried to look around me at my right wing.

"Its fine, ruko, see?" I reassured him, holding out my wing so he could see where I had been struck.

"Wow that healed up quick. That wound was pretty bad, but considering you were hit full-on by a Defender's firaga you were very lucky!" he stared at the non-existent wound in astonishment, before turning to look to his right as three more Wyverns landed on the pipe.

"Well well well… if it isn't the recluse and the scaredy-cat!" Shruiken, a black-speckled Wyvern almost as big as me, sneered at Suruko and I. I merely glared at him and snorted, not angry from the insults but annoyed by his presence.

"Shut it Shruiken…" I growled at him lowly, narrowing my eyes dangerously.

"Humph… you think you're tough, outcast? I wouldn't be sayin' that if I were you…" he glared back, curling the bladed tip of his narrow tail.

"I do, Shruiken, and if I were you I'd get lost before I lose my patience…" I hissed back as I spread my wings and flew back into the cathedral, Suruko following me. I landed in my usual spot, the deep inlay in the wall opposite the door, and Suruko landed in front of me.

"Don't mind him Okari… he's an idiot." Suruko tried to cheer me up, but it was about as effective as banging a shovel against a concrete wall. I yawned and curled up further back in the inlay.

"I'm tired after my all-night hunt, ruko…" I told him, "… could you please let me get some rest, just for a few hours…"

"Of course, Okari! I'll tell the other Wyverns that you don't want to be disturbed as well, goodnight err… day." He said as he flew off, disappearing through one of the many holes in the ceiling. I lowered my head and closed my eyes as my weariness caught up to me. Sighing, I feel into a deep sleep.

* * *

Suruko glided back down and landed quietly on the protruding brass pipe. He ruffled his scales as he folded his wings, shaking to rid himself of dust and dirt. His scales flattened back out as he looked around.

"What are you doin out here by yourself, Suruko?" Shuriken sneered at the smaller, younger Wyvern.

"I am honoring Okari's wishes to be left alone, and I wanted to watch the sunrise, as I always do." He said calmly, not frightened by the stronger Wyvern.

"Sleeping again is she?" he said slyly, "Well, I guess being a failure at hunting can tire a Wyvern out!"

"Okari is a great hunter, Shuriken! I bet she could take you down easier than a Shadow!" Suruko retorted, spreading his wings for emphasis.

"Take me down?" the black-flecked Wyvern said sarcastically, "She wouldn't even take that kid running around the castle! She had the perfect chance to steal his heart when he dropped that book, but she didn't even attack!" he snarled, than a grim smirk crossed his face, "Her memories have made her soft… maybe another loss will toughen her up…" Laughing cruelly, Shuriken launched into the sky, flanked by his two Wyvern lackeys- Leiden and Raserei.

"He's so full of himself…" Suruko said under his breath, watching the three Wyverns fly away into a hallway. Ruffling his scales again, he turned and watched the sun start over the far mountains. Shuriken's words hung heavy in his mind, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't dismiss them. _'What did he mean by 'another loss'? I don't remember her losing anyone besides her friend to the Heartless… maybe that's what he was talking about, but I still don't understand what he means…'_ He shook his head to clear his thoughts and returned to watching the sunrise.

**_.:End of Chapter 2:._**

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**AN**- Yeah, I finally decided to maybe try and save this fic. This may shape into a 5 or 6 chapter fic, but depending on how long I make them, it may reach 10. Today I realized I hadn't switched off the anonymous review blocker, meaning anonymous reviewers were blocked from reviewing. I'm really sorry to any anonymous reviewers who were denied the opportunity to review. Remember I had to learn everything on my own, so how was I supposed to know that the block's default was 'on'? Anyway, anonymous reviewers can now review all my fics. I digress, so what do you guys think so far? I know this chappie was sorta weak, but I'm working on two fics at the same time and I got overloaded. I'll try to work on chapter 3 after I spend some time working on my Zoids fic, _**The Dark Savior**_. I might not update for awhile, but don't worry, I'm not going to abandon this fic. Lol. _"Away From the Sun"_ by 3 Doors Down just came on my computer's XM radio. Remember that song, randomcat?XP Anyway, I won't update for awhile, but I'm not abandoning this fic, I just have some other fics that people _actually_ read that need to be updated. Until next chapter.

Ibeyla:P


	3. Sky Fall

**AN**- ShadowRebirth37 here! I've taken a slight break from my hit Zoids fic, _**The Dark Savior**_, to work a little on this fic. The next couple of chapters will be short because I'm gonna be busy for awhile- finals started today and will last 'til Monday, and I need to work on my two other fics- the hit Zoids fic, _**The Dark Savior**_, and my Ecco the Dolphin fic, _**Search for the Starred Ones**_. I had to make time to work on this chapter! Things will start to heat up action and fighting-wise from now on, so get ready for a ride! This chappie will be short, 'cause I'm limited on free time to work on it. Without further a due, chapter 3- Sky Fall! (kinda ominous, ain't it?XD)

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_**.:Chapter 3- Sky Fall:.**_

Riku explored the ruined castle to keep him occupied during the early afternoon. A few lone Shadows skirted the shady edges of the hallways, but never ventured to far into the bright light of the sun after him. He gripped his sword loosely, just in case on of them got bold. _'I'm just glad they're only Shadows… a Defender or a Wyvern might give me a problem…'_ he scowled at the thought of one of the more dangerous Heartless coming after him. He could take them down easily; he just didn't really want to have to explain why to Maleficent.

He was close to the cathedral, and was wary of the Wyvern because it was still early enough that she may attack. He still wondered why the Wyvern hadn't attacked him. Still thinking, he leaned against a support column and looked out at the sunlit sky through a large collapsed section of wall. Lost in thought, he didn't hear the quiet fluttering of wings above him…

* * *

Shuriken, Leiden and Raserei landed on a golden pipe above Riku. The trio watched him closely, as if waiting for him to make a mistake.

"For a Wielder, he sure let's his guard down a lot…" Raserei sneered, looking at the teen with disdain.

"Hush Raserei or he'll hear you!" Shuriken hissed, glaring at his hunting partner.

"Why don't you both shut your mouths, we're trying to stay hidden, remember?" Leiden growled lowly, venom dripping from his voice. The other two Wyverns ceased their squabbling at the larger Wyvern's command. Although Shuriken was the leader of the small pack, Leiden was much stronger and more cunning, and like his name suggested, liked his prey to suffer. He was cruel and ill-tempered, and had a serious hatred of humans.

"Fine…" Shuriken grumbled, looking down at Riku, who was still leaning against the column, unaware of their presence.

"Just a little while longer…" Leiden growled under his breath, smirking evilly as he followed Shuriken's gaze downward.

* * *

Riku's eyes were closed as he continued to ponder why the Wyvern had released him. He was completely oblivious to his surroundings, not paying any heed to a passing group of soldier Heartless. His thoughts had his complete attention, and he ignored everything else.

A quiet noise off to his left and an inquisitive scratch on his ankle shook him from his thoughts. Opening his eyes and glancing down, he tried to determine what had brushed against him. He was greeted by the piercing eyes of a Shadow. _'Just ignore it, it'll go away…'_ he thought to himself, trying to resist the urge to swing at it with his sword. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the pillar, ignoring the little Heartless.

It obviously didn't like that, for it swiped at his ankle again, this time with more force. Riku jumped and instinctively swung his sword, the blade connecting with its coal-black body. It vaporized into a black mist which clung to the edge of his sword. He froze when he realized what he had just done. _'Shoot! Now the bigger Heartless will come after me!'_ he cursed himself in his head, looking around the empty hallway for any threats. He sensed he was in danger, but he couldn't see anything.

Suddenly, Riku heard a strange rustling and a loud growl above him. He started to turn, but before he could something slashed his shoulder. He cried out in pain and swung his sword defensively, and it connected with something that hissed in pain and fury. Riku's blood ran cold, for the only Heartless that sounded like that was…

A Wyvern…

* * *

"Why'd he go and do that?" Raserei said flatly to Leiden, not looking up from the fight below.

"He was just waiting for a good reason to tell Maleficent why he attacked him." Leiden replied emotionlessly, also not looking up. Shuriken had struck Riku's left shoulder as he had turned with his outstretched claws. The wound wasn't very long, but it was deep and bleeding. The speckled Wyvern's size also seemed to have Riku nervous, for his concentration seemed elsewhere.

The draconic Heartless screeched as the teen's sword slashed his wing, and wheeled away, hissing and spitting in rage. Recovering his dive, he whipped around and tried to smash the teen against the wall with his claws. He ducked out of the way, and Shuriken shot upwards to keep from crashing into the unforgiving stone. Wheeling sharply, he extended his talons and dropped, trying to pin the kneeling teen. He managed to dodge, but one of Shuriken's claws caught his left arm, leaving a long slash.

Shuriken was now on the ground and moving in a slow arc around the wounded teen, hissing and snarling, taunting him into making a mistake. Panting heavily, the teen was standing motionless, both hands clutching his sword tightly as he watched the circling Wyvern. Shuriken roared loudly, baring his long, curved fangs. He flicked his bladed tail, the black arrowhead glinting in the sun. His tan wings were pressed tight against his body, ready to soar at the slightest movement.

Shuriken smirked grimly, seeing his prey grow weaker and weaker from blood loss. _'Not much longer…'_ he thought with a sneer, watching Riku stumble slightly but regain his balance. He tensed and slowed his circling, trying to unnerve the teen even more, and it seemed to work. His sword lowered slightly and his breathing quieted, but he still kept his eyes on him. Shuriken grinned and lifted his head almost proudly as he continued his shark-like circling.

'_Not much longer… not much longer…'_

* * *

Riku tried to keep from falling to his knees as the Wyvern circled him, growling and hissing. With every passing second his sword grew heavier and heavier in his hands and the simple task of breathing became a difficult labor. His vision started to cloud and his legs began to buckle, but he fought to stay up, knowing if he fell the Wyvern would be upon him in an instant.

'_I need to get out of here…'_ he thought, watching his own blood drip off the tip of sword to the dusty ground. He had two options- either run all the way down to the library, or duck into one of the many rooms that dotted the halls, but most of them were locked or filled with Heartless. His judgment was clouded by pain, and he found it hard to make-up his mind.

Suddenly, he had an idea. He knew if it failed he was done for, but if he stayed here he _knew_ he was done for.

'_Guess it's worth a shot…'_

* * *

I was shook from my nap from a loud roar and a shout somewhere out in the hallway that was connected to my lair. I lifted my head and yawned loudly, shaking it to rid my scales of the dust that clung to every surface in the castle. Another loud roar caught my attention and I looked out towards the closed door. I wondered for a second who was roaring, but another told me exactly.

'_Shuriken… must have caught an unfortunate Soldier…'_ I thought, quickly losing interest. Just as I started to curl up to go back to sleep, I heard a pained cry. My head snapped up instantly, recognizing that the cry wasn't from a Heartless… but from a human.

'_Oh no…'_ I thought, my mind and non-heart racing. I recognized Riku's voice and jumped to my feet, walking to the edge of my inlay and stretching my wings to their fullest. I ruffled my sapphire-tinted scales and stretched my large grey-blue talons, then retracted my wings and talons and flatted my scales. Something was poking my wing, so I bit at it, looking much like a raven does when it cleans its shadowy wing.

A Heartless's scream of pain and two loud roars caught my attention, but my ailing wing needed my attention. I licked my wing where a loose scale had rubbed the delicate membrane raw. It burned whenever the sharp scale touched it, and my patience was wearing thin. With a quiet snarl, I bit the broken scale and pulled it out. I cringed at the pain, but it subsided quickly. Snorting in disgust, I dropped the sapphire scale to the stone floor almost twenty feet below me.

I was just about to fly out through the half-collapsed wall at my right when the door burst open suddenly and slammed shut. I jumped at the unexpected noise and looked down, growling lowly. I fell silent when I saw it was only Riku. He was breathing heavily, and something didn't seem right. He staggered into the cathedral, dropping his sword after a few feet. He managed a few more steps before he fell to his knees, clutching his arm.

'_What's wrong with him?'_ I thought, cocking my head, _'Did he get attacked?'_ I cocked my head again, remembering the roars of a Heartless I had heard earlier. He tried to get back on his feet, but failed miserably and collapsed on his side with a groan. I grew worried by his lack of movement and growled to him, but he didn't react. Now very worried, I spread my wings and glided down, landing silently a few feet away from him. I leaned down to him and growled softly, but there was no response.

'_He's unconscious…'_ I thought, now confused as to why. I began to think maybe he had just warn himself out, and started to spread my wings to fly when I saw the deep slash on his shoulder. _'For the sake of Kingdom Hearts!'_ I cursed in my head, looking at the slash. It wasn't very big, but it was deep and it had bled a lot, although now the bleeding had all but stopped. His breathing was labored, probably from running.

I remembered how he had been holding his arm, so I looked down to try and find out why. I cringed when I saw the gash cut deep in his arm. I leaned down and sniffed the wound, and growled when I recognized Shuriken's scent. _'That traitor! He'll pay for this!'_ I screamed in my head, growling loudly.

Suddenly, I felt something inside me trigger, like an instinct. It clouded my thoughts and disabled my reason, threatening to turn me back into the creatures of instinct that are true Heartless. I shook my head and roared, trying to fight the instinct. I backed away from Riku and whipped around, desperately trying to stop the instinct from winning control over me. The urge to steal his heart was too powerful, and I knew I couldn't fight it off much longer. For his own safety, I spread my wings and launched into the air, disappearing through the collapsed wall.

I saw Suruko sitting on his usual perch and flew over to him, landing heavily beside him.

"Okari?" Suruko asked, "What're you doin out here so late in the day? And why are you shaking?"

"Shuriken went after Riku, but he managed to get away and hid in the cathedral. He's badly hurt and he collapsed. When I flew down and tried to help him, I nearly lost to my instincts again. I managed to get away before I reverted and possibly stole his heart. That's the closest I've ever come to snapping… thank Kingdom Hearts I didn't, or it would have been the end of him…" I said quietly, my whole body shaking, side-effects of the instincts' control over me.

"Good idea gettin away before they got full control. You should wait out here so you can calm down." Suruko said, giving me his usual friendly pat on the back. I looked up at him with worried eyes.

"But what about Riku? He needs help and I'm sure Shuriken will go after him again!" I said in a panicked voice, raising my voice slightly.

"Don't worry Okari; I'll go make sure he's okay for you, okay? I'll try to cast a cure spell as well. I'm not as gifted in magic as a Wizard, but I'll try my best, kay?" Suruko tried to cheer me up with his offer.

"Thank you Ruko… that would mean a lot." I said quietly, looking towards the cathedral. He nodded and spread his wings, flying towards the gaping hole that allowed passage in and out of the large room. I lowered my head, lost in thought.

'_Why did Shuriken go after Riku? It's not like him to do that… maybe Riku somehow unknowingly provoked him into attacking. That… or he's trying to get at me… again…'_ I pondered why Shuriken had attacked Riku. The sun was very bright, and I, being mostly active at night, didn't like it. Not at all. I tried to ignore it as continued to think. I just hoped that Riku managed to give Shuriken a good beating, so that he would think twice about going after him again. _'If he didn't, then __I'll_ _give him a few good reasons…'_ I thought, smirking slightly at the thought.

If I hadn't been lost in thought, I might have been able to hear Suruko's panicked roars coming from the cathedral…

_**.:End of Chapter 3:.**_

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**AN**- Pretty fast-paced chappie, huh?XP This was pretty long, and it took a while to type. Anyway, no that I'm outta school I'll have more time to work on this and my other fics. Please review guys, I want to know your guys' opinions!!XD **No flames please!!** It will take awhile for the next chapter to get posted, cause I'm gonna start work on chapter 10 of my (sorta) popular Zoids fic, _**The Dark Savior**_. Oh yeah, **anonymous reviewers can now leave reviews. I'm sorry you weren't able to before; I didn't know the blocker was 'on' when you start out. You guys can now review. I will leave responses to your reviews in my profile under the "Comments to Anonymous Reviewers" section.** Please leave a nice review for me guys!!XD Until next chapter.

**P.S- Do I need to raise the rating to 'T' for this fic? Or should I leave it at 'K+'? Please let me know what I should do, I don't want to get in trouble for under-rating my fic!!**

_**Ibeyla :P**_


	4. Fallen

**AN**- Hello, ShadowRebirth37 here! That's right, I'm back!! I'm really sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I've been insanely busy with my two newest Zoids fics, _**Fury's Core**_ and _**Broken**_, and my classic, _**The Dark Savior**_. If you like Zoids or a good, thrilling, emotional fic, you should check them out, and the good thing about them is that you don't have to know a thing about Zoids to understand what's going on. If you love a good, tear jerking fic, read my newest Zoids fic, called _**Fury's Core**_. If you're human and have a heart, you'll cry. Guaranteed. Even if you don't know anything or any of the characters from Zoids, you will be able to understand the emotions. Back to this fic. This fic has been moved to the back of my 'to do' list, for my Zoids fic are demanding my total devotion right now. Things will start to turn dark quickly, and I may need to bump up the rating to 'T'. Sorry to my readers if the updates on this fic slow down further, but I'm starting to lose interest in this fic, and my more popular Zoids fics are starting to get into their storylines. Compared to my Zoids fic, this fic is just a simple drabble. My Zoids fics are much more developed and detailed, and one even earned me a 100 on a report at school, and another made my teacher cry, in front of the class, and she had no flipping clue what a Zoid was. Lol. If you want to see my true potential, check out my Zoids fics _**The Dark Savior**_, _**Broken**_, and _**Fury's Core**_. Lol. Anyway, on to the chapter. With out further delay, chapter 4- Fallen! (very ominous, I know!!)

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_**.:Chapter 4- Fallen:.**_

Riku groaned weakly and slowly opened his eyes, mere crystal slits partially obscured by his silver hair. He had been awakened by the feeling of warmth spreading through him, and an almost silent growl. He tried to see what had made the growl, but his vision was blurry. The last thing he could remember was falling to his knees in the middle of the cathedral, trying to stop the bleeding from the gash on his arm as the blue Wyvern glared down at him. Everything after that was a blur, and he couldn't remember. He groaned again as he felt burning pain on his shoulder, squeezing his eyes shut.

A quiet growl directly next to him caught his attention, causing him to open his eyes slightly. Riku saw only a cloudy rust-colored figure, leaning over him, staring at him with gleaming gold eyes. Suddenly, the unknown figure growled, and Riku was enveloped in warm green light. He felt warmth spread through his weak body, and he felt a little of his strength return. His vision cleared slightly, but his surroundings were still blurry. The figure started to clear, and Riku's breath caught in his throat…

For the figure was a Wyvern, standing over him.

Spots were faintly visible on its rusty hide, and Riku's thoughts immediately flashed back to the speckled Wyvern that had attacked him. Gritting his teeth, Riku struggled to his feet, stumbling slightly from moving. The Wyvern snarled and jumped back at his sudden movement, watching him with eerie eyes. Riku took a step back, trying to reach his sword, watching the Wyvern carefully. It cocked its head and stared at him, silent and unmoving.

'_If I can get my sword, I might be able to keep it at bay long enough to escape…'_ Riku thought, slowly edging his way back towards his dropped sword. He reached down and grasped the hilt, the Wyvern still unmoving, even when he started to raise it. As soon as he pointed it at the Wyvern, however, it began roaring and snarling, shifting nervously. It watched him closely, growling loudly.

Without warning, Riku's vision clouded and he faltered, the tip of the sword banging against the stone floor as it all but fell from his hand. _'I can't fight in this condition, I need to get away before I collapse again…'_ he thought, his vision beginning to blur. The Wyvern roared again, but stopped, and looked up at something that Riku couldn't see. He started to turn to try and see what was behind him, but his legs gave out, and he started to fall backwards.

What he fell against wasn't stone, but smooth scale…

Riku had collapsed against something scaled, but his thoughts were too clouded at the moment to try and figure out exactly what it was that he had fallen against. Whatever he fell into growled lowly, shifting slightly. Before he could move, he saw the blue scaled head of the Wyvern look down at him, upside-down as the tall Heartless studied him with flat emerald eyes. Now he knew he was in trouble, for he was barely able to stay on his feet, let alone fight _two_ powerful Wyverns.

The sapphire blue scaled Wyvern just stared at him, not moving or growling. Riku stared back, and that's when it hit him- he had fallen against the Wyvern. _'Oh no… now I'm in trouble…'_ Riku thought, still looking up at the large Heartless as it continued to stare at him flatly. The other Wyvern growled loudly, and the blue Wyvern lifted her head and looked at it, growling back.

The Wyvern looked back down at him and growled. Before Riku even had a chance to breathe, the Wyvern grabbed and held his arms with the claws on her wings, preventing him from moving. Riku started to struggle, but he was too weak from his injuries to get free. The Wyvern growled quietly, tightening her grip slightly, but Riku still tried to get free.

Suddenly, the other Wyvern came right up to him, now only a few feet away. Riku raised his sword slightly in a vain attempt to defend himself, but he only managed to get the tip a few feet off the ground. The Wyvern roared and took a step backwards, hissing at him loudly. He raised it a few more inches, but suddenly the sword jerked. Confused, he looked down, and saw the blue Wyvern's tail wrapped around the hilt. The Wyvern growled, and Riku watched as she pulled the sword from his hand with her tail, setting it on the ground silently.

As soon as the sword touched the ground, the other Wyvern approached him again, growling lowly. It raised its head and made a strange noise, and it looked like it was going to attack. Riku closed his eyes, waiting to feel the Wyvern's claws. Instead of feeling its claws, however, Riku felt odd warmth, and sensed light around him. He opened his eyes slightly and exhaled, feeling more of his strength return. He looked at the Wyvern strangely, before he realized what it had done-

It had healed him.

The Wyvern growled, spreading its wide tan wings. A low growl above him made Riku look up, and he stared into the blue Wyvern's light green eyes. The blue Wyvern growled again and released him, removing her claws and retracting her wings. The other Wyvern growled and launched into the air, flying out of the cathedral. The blue Wyvern followed suit, spreading her grey wings and flying after it with a loud roar. Riku watched them fly away, and reached down and picked up his sword. As he grasped it, he realized that the wound on his arm was gone, completely healed by the Wyvern.

'_Why did it heal me? And why didn't the blue one steal my heart when I was unconscious?'_ Riku thought, looking out at the sky where the two Heartless had flown out, _'There's something up with these Heartless…'_ he watched as the Wyverns disappeared from view behind another tower. He was about to walk away, when he heard a panicked roar from outside. It sounded like a Wyvern's cry, and it sounded like it was in pain.

Riku ran outside the cathedral, and looked around for the source. He ran down the open air hallway and rounded the corner and froze, for standing right in front of him was another Wyvern, its back to him. The Wyvern that had healed him was pinned to the ground by a huge silver Wyvern, and the Wyvern that had attacked him earlier had the blue one cornered.

Without thinking, he swung his sword, slashing the Wyvern in front of him's back. It screamed in pain, collapsing forward onto the stone floor. The other two attacking Wyverns whipped around and glared at him, shocked and surprised, but mostly angry. The large silver one roared and fanned its huge black wings, burning red eyes narrowed and sharp teeth bared.

It roared again and lunged, knocking Riku to the ground and pinning him with its foot. Riku struggled, and swung his sword defensively, the tip connecting with the massive Heartless's nose. It roared in anger and pain, and extended its claws, ready to rip him apart. Before it had a chance to, however, it was knocked off him by the Wyvern that had healed him earlier. The silver Wyvern was slammed into the wall by the Wyvern, and fell to the ground, unmoving. The blue Wyvern used the distraction to attack, striking the Wyvern in front of her with her bladed tail, slashing its chest. It screamed and faltered, screeching and flailing its wings and tail in pain.

Riku scrambled to his feet, helped up by the Wyvern that had pretty much just saved his life twice in the same day. The silver Wyvern's claws had cut his side, the wound wasn't that deep, but in his still-weak state it was bad enough. He started to get dizzy, and he would have fallen if the Wyvern hadn't held him stay up with its outstretched wing.

A Wyvern's scream of pain broke the silence, and caused both Riku and the Wyvern to look up. The last attacking Wyvern had screamed, but now it fought back. It swung its spined tail at the blue Wyvern, but she dodged and struck back with a swing of her own tail, connecting with the speckled Wyvern's face. It shrieked and charged, ramming the blue Wyvern out of a hole in the hallway, both of them falling down. Both of the Wyverns screamed, but were cut-off as they hit the ground.

The Wyvern at Riku's side roared loudly, but only one of the two answered. They watched as one of them flew back up and into the hall, and in horror they realized that it was the speckled Wyvern. Its face twisted into an evil smirk, its black wings half extended as it landed and glared at the two. The Wyvern beside him roared and lunged, pouncing on the speckled Wyvern with claws extended. It screamed, but managed to worm its way out from under the roaring Wyvern's claws, and flew out of the opening, disappearing into the distance.

The Wyvern called to the unresponsive blue one, but only a pained whimpering cry answered. At that point Riku knew the blue Wyvern was badly hurt, and he turned and ran down the hall, towards some stairs that he knew lead down to where the Wyvern had fallen. The other Wyvern had flown down after her, but he knew after casting all those healing spells on him it probably wouldn't be able to do it for her.

Riku ran down the flight of stairs, trying to reach the badly wounded Wyvern quickly. He gripped his sword tightly, seeing the speckled Wyvern flying overhead. It didn't come after him, but he slowed down and kept low to keep from attracting its attention.

Riku rounded a corner, and saw the Heartless. The blue Wyvern was collapsed on the ground, whining loudly. Riku walked up to beside the ailing Wyvern, looking down at the squirming Heartless. Her eyes were closed and she was writhing in pain, one of her wings lying on the ground half-extended and at an odd angle. He leaned down to her level, setting his sword on the ground beside him.

The Wyvern's eyes flashed open at the sound of his sword hitting the stone, dull compared to their normal glittering emerald color. She rolled her eye up and looked at him, whining in pain. He shifted his weight slightly, but cringed, hot pain shooting through him from the slash on his side. He groaned quietly, but tried to ignore it.

'_Wait… that potion that I found might help her…'_ Riku thought, remembering that he had found a potion when he had been wandering around earlier. _'But how will it affect a Heartless? Could it hurt her?'_ Riku wondered, not knowing how the potion would affect the wounded Wyvern. He looked at her seemingly broken wing, trying to decide what to do.

'_Hold on… if a Wyvern's wing is anything like a seagull's, I might be able to set it…'_ Riku thought, remembering how he had set a seagull's wing after Sora had accidentally knocked it from a tree with Wakka's blitz-ball.

"Stop moving and let me see your wing…" Riku said quietly to the suffering Wyvern, looking her in the eyes. She stared flatly back, and her squirming lessened, though her body continued to shudder slightly. He lightly touched the delicate dark grey membrane with his gloved hand, studying a thin cut on the smooth surface. He found the narrow bones within the wing, and slowly ran his fingers around the main bones near the top. So far, he hadn't felt anything of worry, but he knew that the Wyvern wasn't writhing in pain over that little scratch.

Suddenly, the Wyvern wailed in pain as he ran his hand over a small bump. She writhed in pain and whipped her tail around, smacking Riku in his side. Riku cringed, the sharp tip of the Wyvern's tail cutting him slightly. Thankfully, the Wyvern was weak, and her tail didn't do much damage.

"This is going to hurt, but stay still…" Riku whispered to the still-squirming Heartless, putting his hand back on her wing, though safely away from the supposed broken bone. The Wyvern nodded weakly, her struggling stopping. The more the Wyvern whined and shuddered, the more Riku wanted to give her the potion. Finally, he decided he would do so.

"Here, this will make you feel better…" Riku said, pulling out the potion from his pocket and taking off the lid. He gently lifted the Wyvern's head, opening her jaws and pouring in a little of the green liquid. She suddenly shuddered and growled, spitting the potion from her mouth.

"I know, it tastes horrible, but you need to drink it…" Riku said, bringing the small bottle up to her mouth again. The Wyvern let him pour a small amount into her mouth, swallowing it with a disgusted snort, shuddering. Riku watched as the potion worked it magic, the Wyvern's body glowing a soft green for a moment before it faded. The color returned to the Wyvern's eyes, and the cut on her wing healed instantly.

The Wyvern lifted her head on her own, groaning quietly as she pulled her legs underneath her, preparing to get up. She growled and tried to get to her feet, but she was still too weak, and collapsed back down on her belly, whining loudly and closing her eyes. She flicked her tail around in pain, whimpering quietly.

Riku reached out and laid his hand on the Wyvern's crest of horns, trying to calm her down. The Wyvern's eyes flashed open at his touch, but after realizing it was only him, closed again. He gently ran his hand over the smooth scale, the small sapphires dull compared to their usual deep sparkling color. The Wyvern whined again, squeezing her eyes shut tighter.

"You're okay…" Riku said quietly, "… here, drink a little more of this…" he added, holding out the potion so the Wyvern could see. The Wyvern opened her jaws slightly, letting him pour in the remaining potion, swallowing it with disdain. She coughed, and her body shone faint green for a few seconds, her remaining injuries fading as they healed.

The Wyvern lifted her head again, eyes bright and scales shimmering. She shook her head and slowly stood up, stumbling slightly. Riku backed up and got to his feet, giving the Wyvern room. She groaned and retracted her wing, though her one that Riku had worried about still hung at her side. The Wyvern looked up at the sky, obviously looking for the speckled one that had attacked her.

"Don't worry; I haven't seen that speckled Wyvern…" Riku tried to reassure the nervous Wyvern that the other Wyvern was no where nearby. She looked around one more time before she lowered her head, growling lowly. The sapphire Wyvern took a shaky step, her right leg obviously causing her pain. She looked down, for at her feet was Riku's sword. Snorting loudly, she kicked the sword, which spun across the stone floor, stopping at Riku's feet.

When Riku reached down to pick up the sword, the slash on his side sent hot pain through him again. He groaned and put his hand on the wounds, feeling warm blood trickle down his side. He heard the Wyvern snort and move close to him, but he was more preoccupied with the pain he was in. The pain was much worse this time, and it was affecting his breathing. A curious nudge from the Wyvern tore his attention from his wounds.

"I'm fine; it's just a scratch…" Riku breathed, looking up at the Wyvern. The Wyvern cocked her head, looking at the slashes. She growled and lifted her head, looking up at the sky. Riku didn't follow her gaze, for his vision was starting to get blurry and he couldn't see anything. He tried to get to his feet, but couldn't, and collapsed onto his side.

This caught the Wyvern's attention, and she turned and looked at him, growling. She walked over beside him and leaned down, nosing his shoulder, growling softly. Riku didn't react, for he was barely conscious and in a lot of pain. The Wyvern growled and nudged him again, but Riku only groaned, for that was all he could really do. Right now, he wished he had saved a little of the potion, cause right now he really needed it.

'_When that other Wyvern attacked me, I didn't feel like this… there must be something different about that silver Wyvern…'_ Riku thought, the wound on his side throbbing with pain. He was in pure agony, and being weak from the earlier attack wasn't helping at all. The Wyvern continued to growl softly and still stood over him, nosing him every few minutes, probably to see if he was still conscious. _'It almost feels like that Wyvern's claws were poisoned…'_ he thought, not being able to think up anything else…

He just didn't know how right he was about the Wyvern's claws…

_**.:End of Chapter 4:.**_

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**AN**- So, what'd ya think? Different, I know, but righting chapter 3 of _**Fury's Core**_ really altered my writing style. Again, if you like a good, emotional, action-filled, make you cry, give you the weird feeling in you fic, you _**need**_ to read _**Fury's Core**_. Lol. That fic will make you cry and want to watch Zoids. Please R & R that if you really want to see what I'm truly capable of. The first two chapters are very funny, and seem like they belong in a humor fic. The third chapter, however, seems like it belongs in a novel or movie. Its sad and emotional, but also has action and a suspenseful atmosphere that you usually only find in a movie. It may sound like I'm trying to advertise it, but what you just read was said about the fic by a reader and was from a reader's PM. I didn't just make that up. Lol. Please R & R that if you like this fic, cause you'll love that fic. Lol. Hope you liked this chapter, cause this will be the last update for awhile. I'm going to be very busy with my Zoids fics, _**Fury's Core**_, _**Broken**_, _**Of Zoids and Organoids**_, and _**The Dark Savior**_. Again, those fics are my best works, please Read & Review them sometime if you want to see my full potential. Please review!! And remember- **all flamers will be fed to Shuriken and Geier, the evil Organoid from **_**'Broken'**_**!!** Non-flamers, don't worry, you're safe!! XD Lol. Please leave a nice, constructive review!!XD

_**Ibeyla :P**_

**Important Note!!**- My email has shut-down, and I cannot read or receive PMs. I hope to get my own laptop soon, but until then I will not be able to receive PMs, alerts, or anything from the site. Sorry for the inconvenience.


	5. The Black Wyvern

**AN**- Hello, ShadowRebirth37 here!! Yeah, since I've gotten all these nice reviews, I've decided to postpone chapters 4 of _**Fury's Core**_ and _**Broken**_ and chapter 13 of _**The Dark Savior**_ to work on this fic! Lol. The last chapter had to have been one of my bests for the fic yet, but I hope to make this chapter even better!! Lol. Sorry it was just one POV last chapter, but I'm going to start doing that more often, cause it's much easier on me to do it that way. Lol. The first-person part harkens back to my first-ever fic, my beloved _**Rebirthing**_. Lol. That fic style has to be one of my favorites, no matter how much my readers and reviewers disagree, despite the fact that I see nothing wrong with that fic. Lol. I've been getting a lot of good, supportive reviews lately, and even though I still love to hear more about your emotional reactions and normal review stuff, these reviews have helped to get me motivated. Lol. Now don't y'all start sending in supportive reviews, because if y'all do that, they won't be special anymore, ya know? Lol. Btw, an ellipse is this thing '…', right? Lol. Oh, in this chap, the name 'Rabe' is pronounced 'Ra-bay'. The beginning starts with events from last chapter. Enough of my rambling, here's chapter 5- The Black Wyvern! (makes your hopes for Riku drop like stones, don't it? Lol. XD)

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_**.:Chapter 5- The Black Wyvern:.**_

Shuriken and Leiden watched their surroundings from their perch, Raserei hunched over beside them, his back sliced open from Riku's blade.

"Good job Leiden, I was worried that you would rip Riku apart before you got around to actually poisoning him." Shuriken said, laughing with cold humor.

"That took every fiber of my being, especially because of my deep hatred of humans, and the fact he attacked Raserei without reason or warning…" Leiden hissed back, long silver fangs bared.

"Well, you will get your revenge, for in his state Riku won't last more than a few days… and he will be helpless and unable to fight back when you go to steal his heart…" Shuriken growled, a twisted smirk exposing his sharp curved fangs.

"Yeah and even that coward Suruko won't be able to heal him, not get rid of the poison that is…" Raserei sneered, flicking his tail like a stalking cat's. All three of the Wyverns laughed evilly, waiting for their plan to unfold.

"Who knows… maybe we could get Zahir or Rabe involved with our plans…"

* * *

I stood over Riku protectively, watching the sky for any sign of Shuriken or Leiden. Riku had been struck down by Leiden's poison, and he being already weak from Shuriken's earlier attack wasn't helping his condition at all. He was just barely conscious, and his eyes said he was in a lot of pain. Suruko was still flying around, watching for Shuriken and his pack, but right now I needed his help.

Riku groaned again and shifted slightly, catching my eye. I growled quietly as I leaned down, letting him know I was here. I wished he hadn't used the entire potion on me and saved some for himself, because right now he needed it much more than I had. The only injury right now that was paining me was my right leg, for I had landed on it wrong, and it just throbbed pain.

Mewing loudly, I lifted my foot from the ground, holding it up like a lame dog would. I lifted my head and turned, scanning the sky for any sign of the pack, whom I knew wouldn't give up that easily. _'Suruko… where are you? I need your help more than ever…'_ I thought, staring at the sky in vain. _'But what could Suruko do? He doesn't know the antidote…'_ the reality dawned on me, and I sighed, for I knew that without the antidote, Riku was as good as dead.

'_What a minute… Leiden isn't the only Wyvern that knows the antidote, Rabe does!'_ I thought, realizing that there may still be hope for Riku.

'_But where __is__ Rabe?'_

* * *

Riku groaned in pain, the warm throbbing pain had now spread into his ribs and lungs, and it was getting harder to breathe by the second. The Wyvern still stood over him, and even though he still didn't completely trust her, her presence made him feel protected.

The Wyvern growled quietly as it leaned down to him, and Riku could feel her eyes on him. For some reason, he got the feeling that the Wyvern was protecting him, but to him that just sounded absurd. Heartless don't care for any creature, even their own, but this blue one and the other, there was something strange about them. The one had healed him, and this one didn't steal his heart when he fell unconscious, or when he had fallen against her after waking up. That and the fact that they fought the other Wyverns. He had never seen two groups of Heartless fight; frankly he thought they were supposed to work together. But these Wyverns, they were organized, they worked as a pack, and they were smart. That ability to create plans and set traps unnerved Riku, but at the moment he was at the mercy of one, so he thought it best not to question things.

A low growl from the Wyvern broke his thoughts, and he opened his eyes slightly. The Wyvern's foot was lifted from the ground, and she was scanning the sky again. When he had first seen her after the fall, her leg had been under her at an odd angle, and no doubt it was causing her pain. At least her thought-to-be broken wing seemed okay, for she had retracted it.

The Wyvern turned back to him and growled, lowering her head and looking at him with her emerald eyes. She snorted and cocked her head, nosing his shoulder like a worried dog. Riku groaned quietly, even though it didn't hurt him at all. The Wyvern cocked her head again, staring at him with almost a look of concern, before she looked down at the slashes. She growled lowly and lifted her head, and then roared so loud it hurt his ears.

Suddenly, a dark shadow descended from the sky, landing behind the Wyvern. The Wyvern wheeled around and snarled, but fell silent for some reason. Riku tried to see what had startled the Wyvern, but he couldn't. Another sharp pain from the cuts made him groan and squeeze his eyes shut, trying to block out the pain. Realizing that lying down was just further straining his lungs; he forced himself to sit up, and leaned against the wall behind him as he felt his consciousness starting to slip.

'_It's still getting harder to breathe… if it gets any worse, I may stop breathing altogether…'_

* * *

I heard and felt a loud _thud_ behind me after I roared, and I realized it was another Wyvern. I hoped it was just Suruko, but when I turned, I realized it wasn't him. This Wyvern's scales gleamed almost as bright as my own, each scale like a glittering teardrop of oil in the glaring light of the sun. A bright crimson shooting star-like symbol stood out against his ebony scaled muzzle like a scar, but was much more glorified. His spines were dark grey, the color of the smoke of a raging fire. His large, powerful wings were also a deep grey, the same color as boiling storm clouds, veined with faint strands of ivory, like slivers of white gold on the dark background. This Wyvern was as large as me, and that unnerved me, and made me fear for Riku.

I snarled at the Wyvern, a warning. The Wyvern lifted his head and looked at me, his amethyst eyes glowing from beneath his black brow. I froze, my breath freezing in my lungs, for I knew this Wyvern.

"Rabe?" I asked quietly, making sure I wasn't mistaken.

"Are there any other black Wyverns here, Okari?" the Wyvern asked sarcastically, looking at me strangely.

"Yep, that's defiantly you, Rabe…" I sighed, rolling my eyes.

"Who'd you expect, Okari? Ansem himself?!" Rabe mocked, laughing.

"Shut up, you overgrown lizard!" I mock snarled and swiped his nose with my tail, causing him to yelp and jump back.

"Don't mess with me, Okari; I could take you down in three seconds flat!" Rabe growled, though it wasn't a threatening one.

"You probably could, so I should shut my mouth while I still have one…" I laughed, and he laughed too.

"Good girl, now, why were you screaming?" he asked, looking at me strangely.

"Well, Shuriken and his lackeys cornered Suruko and me again, but this time Riku showed up and slashed Raserei's back clean open. Suruko took down Leiden after that rat pounced on Riku, and I struck Shuriken. I hit him a few more times before he tackled me and we both fell out of the hallway and fell down here. I almost broke my wing and leg, but luckily Riku found me and gave me a potion. Unfortunately, Leiden cut Riku's side with his claws during the fight, poisoning him, and he's reacted badly to it…" I told Rabe, trailing off at the end.

"Riku…? That's the kid Maleficent brought back from the Rising Falls, right?" Rabe asked, cocking his head slightly. I nodded, and he looked around me at Riku, who was now sitting up and leaning against the wall behind him with his eyes closed. Rabe narrowed his eyes and glanced down at the cuts, and he cringed and bit his lip.

"What's wrong, Rabe?" I asked, worried something was wrong with Riku.

"Leiden's poison is really potent… how long ago was he poisoned?" he asked, not looking away from the seemingly unconscious teen.

"I don't know… ten, twenty minutes or so, why?" I said, now very worried for Riku.

"We need to get him the antidote, and quick, cause it looks like the poison has already taken hold…" Rabe said quietly, seemingly listening to Riku's labored breathing.

"What is the antidote, anyway?" I asked, cocking my head.

"It's a rare plant that grows inside the caves, but it's very hard to find, and there are very aggressive and very powerful Heartless there." Rabe answered, sighing in frustration.

"We have to go get that plant, Rabe, Riku saved my life, and most likely Suruko's, and I can't just let him die…" I answered, lowering my head sadly.

"That plant might not even be alive anymore, after all, Zahir slithers around in the caves now, and anything his poison touches eventually dies. He may have killed the plant, because it too is an antidote to his venom along with Leiden's. We may be too late…" Rabe said quietly, looking at Riku.

"We need to try, Rabe!! We can't just give up hope!! We need to at least try!!" I snapped, growling in protest.

"You seriously want to risk angering Zahir and the other cave Heartless?! They'll kill us!! Maleficent has no control over those Heartless, so they can get away with killing us!!" Rabe protested, fanning his wings in frustration.

"But we need to try!! If we don't, Riku will die!! We have to at least try!! C'mon Rabe, you, of all Wyverns, should be willing to help me save him!! I thought you would give your life to help a friend, but I must have been mistaken!" I snarled, but my last sentence sunk in, and I remembered too late. Rabe's eyes grew very wide, and he froze, not making a sound, for my sentence must have hit him like a slap-in-the-face.

Rabe used to be a human, his black color coming from the color of his hair, and his eyes and shooting-star face-mark the same as in his past life. I had known him during my dragon life, for he had befriended one of the dragons of my pack, a smoke grey, blue-eyed male named Schatten. That dragon had been an outcast, for he was unpredictable, feral and wild. Schatten had found Rabe unconscious on the banks of the Dark River during winter, half-dead and barely breathing. Rabe had fallen through the ice wearing no more protection than a light jacket and all but drowned, and had severe hypothermia. Schatten saved him and nursed him back to health, and the two formed a close bond. A few years later, Rabe was cornered by three dragons, looking to kill him. Schatten tried to fight them, but he was outnumbered, and he was badly hurt. He took down one of them, but he was both tired and weak. One of the dragons snuck around and went after Rabe, and drew in air to burn him with his fire. Just before he let loose his fire, Schatten got between the two and shielded Rabe, but he was mortally burned. The three dragons counted their victories and left Schatten to die. Schatten died in Rabe's arms, and Rabe never returned to the dragon caves after he died saving his life.

"Oh Hearts… Rabe, I'm sorry I didn't mean to say that…" I said, seeing Rabe's eyes close as he lowered his head. I lightly nosed his shoulder, hoping to get his attention, but nothing worked.

"He died because of me… if I had listened to him and gotten out of there, he wouldn't have died that day… it was all my fault…" Rabe whispered, motionless and eyes still tightly closed.

"Rabe… there was nothing you could have done…" I said, trying to tell him that Schatten's death hadn't been his fault.

"But I'm not going to let that happen again… we will go and get that antidote, and then make Leiden pay for what he has done!" Rabe said as he lifted his head, looking at Riku and then up at the sky.

"That's the Rabe I know!!" I said with a broad smile, happy that he wasn't angry at me for bring up the past, for he, like me, retained his memories.

"The poison has three stages- the first stage, the calm stage, and the last stage. Riku will be able to make it through the first stage, and then he will be all but back to normal during the calm period. When that calm stage hits, he will be able to come with us to the old dragon caves, where the plant grows. But once the calm period hits, we will only have a few days, because after the third stage takes hold, even the antidote won't save him…" Rabe said, looking down at Riku, who looked unconscious.

"But how will we be able to get Riku to come with us? He can't understand me or Suruko…" I sighed, looking back at Riku.

"Since I used to be human, I might be able to get through to him, but right now, let's let him rest a little." Rabe said, still looking a Riku.

"I'll get Suruko to cast a healing spell on him again, and then as soon as the poison settles down a little, we'll go to the caves." I said as I scanned the skies for Suruko.

"I'll try to talk to him when he wakes up, and tell him what we need to do." He said, looking back at me.

"But what will Maleficent do? I doubt she'll let us take Riku outside the castle, even though his life depends on it…" I growled, suddenly remembering about Maleficent.

"If we sneak out, she won't be able to stop us." Rabe smirked, "Besides, I doubt she would really care or notice if Riku disappeared for a few days."

"Let's hope so…" I sighed, glancing down at Riku.

"Alright, as soon as the second stage takes hold, which should be around tomorrow morning, we will start towards the caves. Right now, however, we need to get Suruko down here to heal him so he can at least walk." Rabe told me, looking back at Riku.

"Yeah, we'll have to keep an eye on him and make sure the poison doesn't progress too far. Hopefully we can work out a plan or something later, but right now I agree, let's just let him rest." I replied, following his gaze.

'_C'mon Suruko… get back down here… I need you to heal him and stop the poison from progressing too far, or else we won't need to find the antidote…'_

* * *

**AN**- What'd you think about this chapter? I like Rabe, and I'll explain more about his connection to Schatten in later chapters. Lol. Sorry this took so long, but I've been insanely busy with my new Zoids fics. I have like a million fics in progress right now, and a dozen one-shots I still need to post. Btw, do you think I should just post a one-shot about Rabe and Schatten's past instead of writing a whole chapter about it? Let me know what I should do. Lol. Anyway, I hoped you liked this chapter!! Please review!!

_**Ibeyla :P**_


	6. Fading Hope

**AN**- Hello, ShadowRebirth37 here!! I'm SOO sorry I haven't updated in so long!! I've just been so busy with my Zoids fics, that I sorta forgot about this little fic. I'm so sorry, I feel so bad!! Anyway, I'm going to rearrange the plot a little bit. I'm going to focus more on the canon storyline than my made-up one, because if I don't, this story will go on forever!! But, you don't need to worry about that now, you just need to read and review this chapter! XP lol. Again, I may start winding down on my use of 1st person, because it is confusing some people and is rather difficult to write. I'll still use it, but I will also use 3rd person for Okari. Well, here is chapter 6- Tough Decisions!

Here is a new, updated speaking guide…  
"hello"- normal human-to-human/Heartless-to-Heartless speech  
/hello/- Heartless-to-human verbal speech (only Rabe to Riku)  
_/hello/_- Heartless-to-human mental speech (later Okari to Riku after Riku gains power to control Heartless)  
'_hello'_- Heartless/human thoughts

Oh, and I have redesigned my older Wyverns. Here are their updated appearances…

Okari- ice blue scales, gray underbelly, dark blue top, deep sapphire patch on the muzzle, emerald eyes, steel gray talons, metallic blue horns, dark gray wings.  
Suruko- silver-white scales, dark gray horns, light gray talons, small black diamond-shaped patterns all over body, light gray/tan wings, yellow eyes, light gray underbelly.  
Shuriken- silver scales, black speckles all over body, black horns, black wings, black claws, black shuriken/x-like mark on muzzle, dark blue eyes, black underbelly.  
Leiden- purple scales, yellow/orange arrow-like patterns down back/legs/tail, green horns and spines, yellow arrowhead-like mark on muzzle, bright yellow claws with orange tips, dark blue tail-tip, gray underbelly, yellow eyes, extra green horns on muzzle, blood red wings.  
Raserei- normal Wyvern colored scales, black bands like tiger strips down back/arms/legs, yellow spots on muzzle/wings, red splash across muzzle like blood, light tan underbelly, deep blue eyes, tan wings with violet tint, long fangs, rust horns, light gray claws, black tail-tip.

* * *

_**.:Chapter 6- Fading Hope:.**_

Riku groaned as he slowly regained consciousness, his side still throbbing in pain from the Wyvern's claws. Oddly, the strange invasive pain had eased; now he only felt the soreness from the gashes. He subconsciously rubbed at the wounds, gritting his teeth against the burning the contact caused. _'At least the gashes aren't bleeding anymore… but what about that strange pain? It's gone… that worries me…'_ he thought, finding its absence strange and worrying.

"Ugh…" he groaned, cringing slightly as he tried to move. His body was sore and painful from the strange Wyvern's claws, refusing any movement. He felt horribly weak, and he knew he wouldn't be able to defend himself if the silver Wyvern returned for him. He was having a hard time remembering what had happened; everything after he collapsed in front of the sapphire Wyvern was a blur. He did know that he was sitting up and leaning against a wall, in a room of some sort he concluded, for he couldn't feel the wind or sun on his skin.

Soft growls in front of him made Riku freeze, suddenly afraid he was in danger. He blinked his eyes open slowly, his vision blurry and foggy, unable to make anything out of the grey haze that seemed to surround him. Blinking again, the fog cleared slightly, and he recognized the sapphire Wyvern, hovering over him. Her eyes seemed to glow in the dimness of the space around him, looking like emerald flames in the darkened air. She made a rumbling noise and leaned down towards him, nosing his shoulder lightly, her eyes locked on his.

"H-hey…" Riku said quietly, smiling weakly and reaching up towards her. His shaky hand found her muzzle, the glass-like scales cold through his gloves, but the feeling reassuring him, nonetheless. The Wyvern made a noise strikingly similar to a purr and gently buried her snout into the crook of his neck like a cat, closing her glittering eyes. Riku took a ragged breath, tensing slightly due to the Heartless's powerful jaws being so close to his unprotected throat, but he relaxed in the knowing she wasn't going to harm him. The Wyvern growled softly and lifted her head, looking into his eyes, an odd, comforting warmth in her emerald orbs.

"Wh… w-where…?" Riku began to ask, but was hushed by the Wyvern, the soft end of her wing lightly pressing against his lips, telling him to keep quiet. The effort of talking was painful in his weakened state, so he had no objections.

His vision was slowly beginning to improve, and it was then that he realized that Wyverns surrounded him and that he was back in the sapphire Wyvern's cathedral. A spark of fear and anger flared within him, but a gentle nudge and a soft purr from the sapphire female eased his tension. One was the white Wyvern that had healed him before, and the other was a black one that he had never seen before. Its piercing amethyst eyes held a fierce glow to them, and its strongly muscled body showed it was more than capable of killing him in a moment if it willed. Riku watched as it leaned down to him, thankful that the blue Wyvern was between him and the other Heartless. To his horror, the female growled and stepped aside, letting the black Wyvern walk right up to him, leaving him vulnerable and completely exposed. He didn't like the way this Wyvern moved or looked, it just seemed too… _human_.

/You know, the more you panic, the faster the poison is going to spread…/ the Wyvern _spoke_ in a voice far too human for Riku's liking, snorting and brandishing a cocky smirk, /… and stop looking at me like that, I'm not going to hurt you…/ the Wyvern added in a smooth voice, sighing rather loudly.

"Y-you… t-alk?" Riku stuttered, shocked the Wyvern could speak. The Wyvern rolled his eyes and shot him a look that basically read 'what kind of idiot are you?!' and flicked his bladed tail in annoyance.

/Yes I can talk Riku…/ the Wyvern growled, /… and I have a name, you know. Its Rabe, not 'Heartless' or 'Wyvern', got it human?/ he added, narrowing his gleaming eyes and ruffling his scales slightly. The sapphire Wyvern growled at Rabe threateningly, baring her razor-like teeth and snapping at him with an agitated hiss. Riku nodded slightly, his crystal eyes focused on the growling female standing over him.

/I see Okari has taken an odd fondness to you…/ Rabe stated flatly, looking at the sapphire Wyvern, /… strange… she normally hates humans. Last time I saw her with a human, she was _eating_ him. But I guess you healing her has made her like you, to a point. Gotta watch out with her, though- one moment she could be purring like a kitten and be curled up with you and letting you pet her, but the moment the sun goes down she'll have your throat in her jaws quicker than you can blink. Believe me, she even got her mouth on _my_ neck once for coming to see her too late, so there's no telling what she would do to a human like you…/ he said, smirking in dark humor as he spoke. Okari, the sapphire Wyvern, roared at him and smacked his neck with her tail, hissing angrily, obviously upset.

/She says she wouldn't hurt you… and that you are safe from harm from her because you healed her. You should respect that, human, earning a Wyvern's word, especially Okari's, is a difficult thing to do…/ he said, narrowing his violet eyes slightly as he spoke. Okari growled something to Rabe, blinking her emerald eyes and weakly fanning her blue wings.

/Oh… right, the poison…/ Rabe said, scratching the top of his head with his wing and smiling sheepishly, /… Riku, you were poisoned by Leiden during the fight between Shuriken's pack and Okari and Suruko. Leiden is the large purple Wyvern with the strange patterns down his back, the one that pounced on you during the skirmish, so I'm told. His claws are poisoned, so that little scratch you have could kill you…/ he said seriously, narrowing his eyes. Riku's eyes widened in shock and he grasped at his chest, feeling a sudden fear race through him. /… the poison has already taken hold and spread throughout your body; already it is in the second stage. The first stage has passed, that was when you were having problems breathing and in the overwhelming pain. The second stage is right now, you won't be in any pain, but the poison is still in you. It'll last about a day or two, and you should be able to function normally, though be weakened. And last, the third stage, which is horribly painful and irreversible. Make it to the third stage and well… there's nothing that could save you…/

"I-s… is th-there any-thing we c-can… do?" Riku asked, the fact he was poisoned weighing heavy on his thoughts.

/Yes, there is an antidote _but_…/ Rabe said with a hint of disappointment and hesitance, /… we don't know if the antidote still exists anymore. The cure is a rare lily that grows in the old caves, and it only blooms at night and you have to pick it when it's open in order for it to work. There are powerful Heartless in the caves, and finding the flower isn't easy, but Okari has convinced Suruko and I to try and find it for you…/ he said with an odd tone, which made Riku slightly nervous. Okari growled something loudly and gnashed her teeth, clearly not happy with the black Wyvern.

/Okari says she will stay behind to watch you, since Leiden and Raserei, the Wyvern you wounded, aren't ones to sit back when their enemies are weak. I wouldn't be surprised if they return to finish you off, especially with Raserei as wounded as he is… he'll need blood in order to quickly heal himself, and I'm sure you're high on the list of possible victims…/ Rabe said, flicking the tip of his tail in agitation as he mentioned Leiden and Raserei.

"A va-vampire… Heartless?" Riku asked, narrowing his eyes slightly in confusion.

/Vampires don't exist, Riku…/ Rabe replied somewhat harshly, /… blood is full of energy, and Raserei can use the energy to heal that nasty gash you gave him. I guess you could call it vampirism… he does use his fangs and he has a tendency to do it often so… I don't see what's wrong in calling him a vampire…/ Rabe said, shrugging slightly.

/That doesn't matter now; right now you just need to stay still and lay low while Suruko and I leave to collect the lily. Okari will watch over you, though I must warn you she does have a _very_ short temper and is quick to use her teeth and claws if mad… or hungry. Also, she's drained blood from a human before, so I suggest not bleeding in front of her. And don't bleed or anything after the sun goes down, she's more likely to attack after dark…/ Rabe said, warning him about the dangers. Riku nodded, though he still felt strangely safe with the sapphire female.

/Alright, we're going…/ Rabe said, standing to his full height and turning away, /… we only have tonight to collect the lily. Suruko and I will likely be gone all night, and Okari will watch over you. She can't talk to you like I can, but that doesn't mean she doesn't understand you, so watch what you say. The sun will set in about half an hour, just so you know. Okari tends to get a little… _irritable _after sundown, so watch for that. Also, she has teeth, not just the sharp teeth-like juts all Wyverns have. That means if she bites you, it'll hurt and bleed like all Hearts. And her scales are like little blades, so watch your fingers. And if Leiden, Shuriken and Raserei come after you, I highly doubt you'd survive another injury, so stick close to Okari and you _should_ be just fine…/ he warned, unfurling his wings before he turned and growled to Suruko. The white Wyvern growled something in reply and unfolded his own grayish-tan wings, flying up into the air. Rabe soon followed suit, beating his dark grey wings and flying up, both Wyverns exiting through a collapse in the aging walls.

Okari followed them with her eyes, but turned back to him as soon as they were out of sight. She cocked her head and growled quietly, almost as if asking a question. Riku blinked and looked at her oddly, not understanding what the Heartless was trying to say. She sighed and hung her head slightly, as if realizing the same thing. The Wyvern lifted her head again and seemed to smile weakly, her hidden white fangs showing slightly, but not as a threat. Riku couldn't help but laugh at the Wyvern, who seemed silly and not threatening in the least.

"I-I have… a h-hard time… un-derstanding growls… … y-you know…" Riku joked, smirking slightly at the Wyvern. Okari made a growl that sounded eerily similar to a laugh and nodded, her smile broadening and fully showing her deadly teeth. _'I never thought Heartless had a sense of humor… or could understand me… I'll have to watch what I say around the Shadows and Soldiers now…'_ he thought, smirking half-heartedly. The Wyvern growled lightly and nosed his arm, an odd look in her emerald eyes.

"W-what?" Riku asked, narrowing his eyes slightly in confusion at the Wyvern, not understanding what she wanted. Okari growled quietly and blinked, wagging her tail slightly like a puppy, looking almost harmless. Riku couldn't help it, he started snickering at the Wyvern, unable to get past her seemingly childish attitude. Okari started to 'laugh' as well, her staggered growl not at all threatening.

'_After seeing the Islands destroyed, I thought all Heartless were evil… I guess I was wrong…'_ Riku thought, smirking slightly and reaching towards the Wyvern. Okari made a noise like a purr as his gloved hand touched the top of her muzzle, tracing the deep patch of sapphire scales. She growled softly and pushed lightly back against his hand, closing her glowing pupil-less emerald eyes, her body visibly relaxing under his touch. Riku smiled slightly, running his hand over her smooth muzzle, feeling each scale through his thin gloves. The Wyvern's scales were as cold as ice, glittering like crystal in the bloody light of the setting sun. Rabe's warnings about Okari were still fresh in his mind, though he paid them no heed as he looked at the 'harmless' Wyvern purring and wagging in front of him.

Okari snorted and pulled her head away, turning away from him and looking down at the stone, at something he couldn't see. Riku tried to get a glimpse of what she was looking at, but her body prevented him from seeing. Okari growled and picked something up in her jaws, turning and looking at him again. Riku blinked when he saw it was his sword, the blade delicately clutched in the Wyvern's jaws. Her growl was muffled by the sword being stuffed in her mouth, but Riku understood what she wanted as she leaned down to his level, holding the sword out to him hilt-first. He carefully grasped the handle and slowly pulled it from the Wyvern's jaws, holding it in his hand for a moment, inspecting the blade for any sort of damages. Seeing nothing of concern, he set the blade down on the stone beside him tip-first, before leaning back against the stone and sighing loudly. Okari growled and cocked her head, as if asking what was the matter with him.

"I'm tired…" Riku muttered, slowly blinking his crystal-blue eyes. Okari growled again and snorted, almost as if to say 'but you just woke up!', but she curled up next to him and nosed his arm, as if to check on him. "I'm f-fine…" he breathed, lifting his hand and laying it on her snout, rubbing the top of her head roughly, like one would with a hyper dog. Okari growled loudly and shook her head, knocking his hand away, narrowing her eyes playfully and barking. Riku smirked and swatted at her nose, his hand just brushing her. Okari sneezed and nipped at his hand, the sharp tooth-like protrusions on her jaws just grabbing him. She didn't bite down or tug, she just held him for a moment, as if to tell him 'I can rip your hand off, so don't mess with me!' before she opened her jaws and let him go. Riku pulled his hand back and looked at the white marks caused by the Wyvern's hold, but she hadn't even broken the skin, let alone draw blood or hurt him.

"Okay… I g-get it…" Riku said, smirking slightly putting his hand up, a show of 'surrender'. Okari closed her eyes and smiled broadly, bobbing her head slightly, making a noise like a laugh. Riku couldn't help but smile, finding the Wyvern much more funny than dangerous. She looked like she couldn't hurt a fly, but he knew she could kill him in a flash with just a half-hearted swipe of her claws, and there wouldn't be a thing he could do to protect himself. He was basically defenseless against her, and he knew she knew it.

Okari growled happily and opened her eyes, but turned around and gazed out of a collapsed section of the wall, looking at the crimson sun as it sank below the horizon…

* * *

Leiden and Raserei were perched on a golden pipe outside the cathedral, Shuriken standing beside them. Raserei was bent over at an odd and uncomfortable angle, the slash on his back just barely beginning to heal. The rusty Wyvern wore an infuriated scowl, the blood-like splash across his muzzle giving him the appearance he had just maimed something. His burning sapphire eyes were narrowed with hate, the yellow cat-like slits giving him a demonic appearance. His long silver fangs shone in the crimson light, eager to tear into the young human's throat.

"I'll kill him… I'll make him _suffer_…" he hissed, lashing his tail behind him as dark thoughts filled his head.

"Yeah… and I'll be right there with you…" Leiden added, an evil smirk crossing his violet muzzle and his yellow eyes flashing. Raserei looked at him and smirked, showing more of his long fangs. He ruffled his scales and flexed his long, dark talons, digging furrows into the hard metal.

"I can already tell he will become a nuisance…" Shuriken growled deeply, ruffling his dark wings, "… so why not eliminate the problem while it's weak and helpless?" he suggested, looking over at his charges, a wicked smirk crossing his silver muzzle. Leiden and Raserei began to laugh cruelly, finding pleasure in thoughts of how to torture the young human.

"I can't wait to rip him apart…" Leiden growled in dark humor, flexing his green and yellow talons.

"He will pay for doing this to me…" Raserei rumbled angrily, his dark sapphire eyes narrowing with hatred and fury, "… I'll make him pay… I'll drink his blood to heal myself, and then, oh then I'll rip him apart… tear him apart piece by piece and listen to him scream… … …oh what fun we'll have…" he hissed as his twisted smirk broadened, the yellow slits in his eyes narrowing as animalistic impulses surged through the irate Wyvern. His body began to shake as the instincts gained influence, his eyes flashing with a pale blue light.

"Don't worry Raserei, you'll get your chance to have your fun…" Shuriken calmed him, a vicious grin spreading across his muzzle, "… but we will wait until after dark to strike, when he is asleep. We should be able to sneak right past that traitorous female, and Raserei will have the perfect opportunity to bite his throat and drink his blood, even before the female knows we're there. By the time Riku is awake to feel your fangs, it'll be too late…" he explained his twisted plan, his smirk widening with every word. Raserei's eyes brightened at the proposition, the rusty Wyvern licking his fangs and the beast-like slits of his eyes constricted in excitement, a string of saliva dripping from the side of his jaws.

"You _will_ have your fun Raserei, just be patient, the sun has set and Riku will be asleep and helpless very soon, then you can kill him…"

* * *

_**.:End of Chapter 6:.**_

**AN**- So… how did you like this fic's _triumphant_ return? XD lol. I tried to make this chapter long, and I tried to make it better than the previous chapters. I am going to start to get into the canon storyline soon, so we'll run into Sora and co. soon enough. But what's gonna happen to poor Riku? He's badly poisoned by a psychotic Wyvern, staying with Okari who could turn on him, and wanted dead by a crazed, slightly vampiric Wyvern!! The situations Riku gets himself in to… XP Anyway, thanks for reading!! ^o^

Thanks for reading the new chappy and please leave a nice review, they make my day and feed my lazy muses!! ;P

_**~Ibeyla ^^**_


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